Jobseekers reveal what they hate most about their job search

Searching for a new job is frustrating enough for talented jobseekers, without the extra hassle of dealing with unfriendly websites, confusing interview questions and a poor jobhunting experience.

Recently, we surveyed over 300 jobseekers who visited our site to find out what part of the jobseeker journey they found the most frustrating.

These results will give recruiters an insight into what makes candidates in the automotive industry switch off from applying for a new job.

Questions and answers

The first question we asked jobseekers was: ‘What do you find most frustrating about your job search?’

57% of candidates said not hearing back about a job was the most frustrating part of their job search. While we understand that some jobs get lots of applications, it’s useful to let unsuccessful candidates know where they stand – particularly if they were strong competition. You may well need them to apply for another job at your company in the near future, so it’s always handy to send our an ‘unsuccessful application’ letter with the option to request that they remain on your database for any further opportunities.

21% said the waiting period between an interview and being contacted about it was most frustrating, while 14% said creating a CV was the most important part.

7% of those surveyed said a poor recruitment process was frustrating. This might include taking a long time to contact suitable candidates (they may have found another job by this point), advertising a poor job description, or taking a long time between interviews to respond. Job hunting is usually a very stressful time, so it’s always helpful to put yourself in their shoes and ask if you would feel unhappy about the process you currently have in place.

The second question we asked was ‘What’s the most frustrating part of applying for jobs online?’

28% said a job advert that doesn’t have enough information about the role was frustrating, while a further 28% told us a huge list of minimum requirements on a job description was offputting.

17% said a job advert lacking information about the company was frustrating, while a further 17% said a job ad with no salary band listed was a no go.

This resonated with a separate survey we completed recently, where we asked 300 automotive professionals whether having a salary band on a job advert put them off applying for a job. 40% of automotive professionals said yes.

Continuing on with our results, 6% of jobseekers told us that spelling errors/grammatical errors were a turn off, and 6% said other. Job adverts that are rushed and riddled with errors will not attract talent. It will appear unprofessional and unattractive next to an ad that is written well and appear more eye catching. Really think about what information you’re giving that candidate that could attract them, e.g. benefits information, salary, company culture.

We also asked candidates: ‘What’s the most frustrating question you’ve been asked in an interview?’

Answers we received back included:

• Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
• Why do you want to work here?
• Name a time you’ve been proactive
• What can you bring to the team?
• Why did you leave your last job?
• What salary are you hoping for?
• What are your strengths or weaknesses?

Next, we asked: ‘What’s the most frustrating part of writing your CV?’

29% of those surveyed said writing a personal summary, while a further 29% said the time it takes to write a CV.

18% of automotive professionals surveyed said formatting a CV was frustrating, while 12% said writing about their skills annoyed them.

6% said writing the education section was frustrating, and a further 6% said writing the experience section was the most exasperating part of writing their CV.

These results give us an insight into what frustrates automotive professionals most when applying for a new job – hopefully they’ll give recruiters some food for thought when writing job adverts for future roles too!